The Second Time Around
by MephK
Summary: The first time he was released, the dark demon was defeated by Sonic, Shadow and Silver. This time, he'll make sure it doesn't happen. (Sequel to the Sonic game with Mephiles and Iblis, will lead to a similar future to the one Silver originally came from, Demon!Mephiles & Demon!Iblis, Mephiles/Elise, Mephiles/Iblis, platonic Sonic/Elise)
1. Prologue

_He had failed. _

_Miserably. _

_But it wouldn't happen again. _

_He'd make sure to get rid of every liability. _

_He would make sure not to attract attention._

_He'd give them time to grow strong again. _

_To get used to this world. _

_Then they'd strike. _

_And the mortals would fall, bowing and cowering in fear at their feet. _

_They would lay waste to this world._

_They would turn it into a raging Inferno, a wasteland of lost souls and misery._

_They'd get their revenge, in blood and despair, ashes and destruction._

_The mortals would pay._

_Oh, yes, they would pay..._


	2. 1st Lie : Welcome to the Masquerade

1st lie: Welcome to the masquerade

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><p>The castle of Soleana was busy as a hive, hundreds of servants milling about, bringing plates and decorations, making sure that every nook and cranny of the huge castle was perfect for the upcoming party. The kitchen was like a battlefield, ingredients laying everywhere, not a single square centimeter left empty between the hundreds of different dishes prepared for the occasion, the exhausted cooks admiring proudly the results of their efforts before they were brought out to the several dining rooms and reception halls.<p>

The princess Elise was looking worriedly through her window, leaning over a bit to see the arrival of the guests. Hundreds of nobles from all around the world would gather tonight, in her castle, and a good parts of them were bound to try and seduce her. The King's throne had remained empty for too long. Her people loved her, and she did her best to rule wisely, but there were too many things she did not know enough about, or didn't have the stature necessary to control. Moreover, shall anything happen to her, without an heir nor a husband, there would be no one left to rule Soleana. She was now in age to marry, and each year that passed brought more questions or suspicions from the other nobles. Why refuse to marry? Had she a secret lover? Why not show him to the world then? Was she ashamed?

And the truth was just that. She was ashamed. Ashamed of her feelings for the blue hero who had saved her a few years ago. Ashamed of the fact that she could love, _desire_, a being that was not another human being. And who most surely didn't reciprocate her feelings. She gripped the windowsill, her knuckles white with the strength of her grip, and of the emotions and turmoil within her heart. It was _wrong_. Oh, so wrong... So why did it feel so _good_, why was she so _happy_ when he was near her? Why?

Suppressing the tears that burned her eyes, she turned her back to the window, put her regal mask back in place, and strode confidently back toward her rooms and the magnificent dress waiting for her. Her tailors had outdone themselves: contrarily to her usual short, innocently white, princess dresses, the one that awaited her was a long black dress, with long and ample black sleeves. It was made of several layers, a sleeveless and soft black silk dress closest to her body so that it was comfortable, a translucent long black veil ran over it, brushing her feet and trailing after her when she walked, the long and ample sleeves hiding her hands. It was doubled by intricate and beautiful lace, with golden threads and ribbons enlightening the ensemble. It was mature and gorgeous. And it gave a very clear message. She was a Queen now, not a Princess anymore. She had to find a worthy husband.

The sunset found her in the reception hall, greeting the sovereigns and aristocracy of the foreign kingdoms who had been invited to the party. Most complimented her 'more mature' outfit, and even when they had gone to talk to their friends, she still felt their hungry eyes roaming over her body. It sent cold chills down her spine and she felt like a rabbit surrounded by wolves. The one who would be able to snatch the position of King of Soleana would become one of the most powerful men on this world, and rich beyond belief, be it through the treasures of the castle's vaults or the resources of the land. They all knew that, and were eager to please her, hypocrisy and greed behind their every word, their every movement. It sickened her.

She was brought out of her dark thoughts by the arrival of the King of the Northern Lands, Asmod Frostgate, and his suite. He could hardly be missed, and the crowd seemed to naturally part to let them pass. The Northern Lands were after all the richest and most powerful Kingdom, and the display of power the late King Andraste Frostgate had shown a few centuries ago by singlehandedly wiping out his main opponent, the Sandstorm Empire, leaving behind a chilly wasteland full of ice statues frozen forever in an expression of fear and despair, was still fresh in everybody's mind. The Northern Mages were not to be trifled with. And they bathed in the fear and awe they inspired the other kingdoms, viciously keeping the secrets of their magic for themselves, looking down on the others in the same way gods woulds ants.

The King was clad in long dark dragon hide coats, another proof of his power, for very few could stand up against the mighty creatures and goods made from a dragon's body could sell well enough for one to buy a little kingdom with their profits. The sharp scales glinting crimson in the light of the setting sun, contrasting strongly with his alabaster skin and traditional pale bluish clothes, the color of ice and snow. The pure white fur, silver, ivory and diamond jewels and short jet black hair added to that colorless, ethereal look that gave him such a strong presence. Or maybe it was the cold who seemed to follow him everywhere he went?

The Queen, Freja, wore a long white lace dress and intricate diamond bracelets, necklace and earrings. Her long silky raven hair up in a complex hairdo before cascading down her back and flowing freely behind her in the wind, her charcoal makeup making her pure emerald eyes stand out, the only color on her figure. She was as beautiful as a goddess, a pure beauty that seemed almost fragile. She was followed by the 3 Princes, the Princess and a few servants, all of them making a colorless spot in the crowd, as if someone had put a filter around them and removed every color other than than of their eyes, either pure blue or radiant green.

She politely welcomed them, almost flinching under the piercing ice blue gaze of their King before he turned away and stalked toward those of the other guests he deemed worthy of his presence, mainly the Queen and Crown Prince of the western kingdom of Ratash, who were engaged in a heated conversation with the King of the Sharken Isles, Frostgate's ivory skin and heavy, colorless clothes contrasting greatly with their dark complexion and light, colorful attire.


	3. 2nd Lie : Pandora

2nd lie: Pandora

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><p>The prince Malphas had managed to escape the party unnoticed and was now roaming along the foreign corridors of Soleana's castle, avoiding the few servants who were hastily walking down the candle lit corridors. His half long onyx hair and long black dragon hide coat helped him blend into the shadows of the dimly lit hallways. Trying to look good in front of old fools was tiring and purposeless: he was the second prince and would be chosen as the next king only if his older brother died.<p>

Something that was very unlikely, for the Crown Prince Elphias was as strong and smart as a dragon, easily defeating any opponent in both martial and political duels. Add to that a handsome figure and a talent for ice magic worthy of their great-grandfather Andraste Frostgate, and you had the picture of the perfect heir in front of you. No need to say that their father was quite proud of him. But Elphias deserved it, working very hard to please their father and improve his skills. On the contrary, Malphas didn't really bother. Oh, he was quite good at ice magic, and had a natural talent for arguing that his brother lacked, but the latter made up for it by working twice as hard, whilst Maplhas simply found it easier to go with the flow, doing what was expected of him and nothing more. They had always been like that, and it suited them: Malphas didn't try to take the attention his brother craved, and in exchange he was left alone most of the time and could do whatever he wanted.

Like what he was doing now, going deeper and deeper inside the castle, using his ice magic to create keys when he stumbled upon closed doors. Something his brother would never allow himself to do. He found several storage rooms for various goods, tools, even a few who were filled with various expensive objects like gorgeous fabrics with intricate designs, gold and silver threads embedded in some to add to the beauty of the cloth, big chests made of expensive exotic woods filled to the brim with jewels made of gold, silver, platinum and various gems. The room he was in was mostly filled with ancient artifacts, scepters, crowns, swords were displayed on velvet cushions on top of high stone pillars, or in niches carved in the stone walls. This castle sure held many interesting items.

He was walking along the room's walls, inspecting the mysterious items it held when one of them, hidden in a niche deeper than the others, caught his attention. It was safely placed under a heavy crystal case whereas most of the others were free of any kind of physical protection. Was it fragile? Dangerous? He approached and examined it more thoroughly: it was some kind of tall and thin crystal vial containing a swirling black purplish substance. From the bottom of the vial to its cap slithered a beautiful silver snake, every detail carved with utmost care, making it seem almost alive. The cap was made of silver too, adorned with a big purple gem which glowed in the same way as what lied inside of the vial. Two big silver wings protruded from the cap and shone in the lights of the room, the hundreds of white and black diamonds mounted on it giving the mysterious object an ethereal feeling. He felt magic rolling off it in waves, ancient and powerful, caressing his own, so familiar yet alien at the same time, bringing him closer and closer... Would he dare?

He cautiously picked up the heavy crystal case and put it aside, admiring the appealing artifact. He carefully caressed it, tracing the runic designs engraved into it. It was cold to the touch, much colder than any object left untouched in this room, even for a very long time, should be. But it didn't bother him. He was used to the cold. The strange dark matter inside shifted in response to his touch, the foreign magic humming against his own, his hands moved on their own accord, trailing up toward the cap, unscrewing it meticulously...

Darkness washed over him.


	4. 3rd Lie : Black

3rd Lie: Black

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><p>He leaned onto the stone wall for support, slowly sliding into a sitting position, his body jerking violently, his breathing erratic, his hands clawing at his chest. He needed time to calm down, let his body adjust. Become used to having a body again. A real, human body, not an unstable mass of darkness molded into the shape of a hedgehog. He carefully picked up the now empty scepter of darkness and eyed it distrustfully. How could such a small and mundane artifact manage to render a great Demon Lord like him powerless for so long? Twice he had been locked away inside of it, forgotten by all. How long had passed since he had last roamed the worlds, free to use his power as he pleased? How long had he remained sealed within this object? A decade, a century, a thousand years? His hands shook with barely contained rage, and he fought hard to control himself once more, calm down and think clearly.<p>

The first time they had been taken off-guard. They had been arguing – Or was it fighting? Kissing? Fucking? It was all the same to him. They clashed whenever they could, fire against ice, heat against cold, light against darkness, their whole being craving yet rejecting the other at the same time. Neither could ignore the high that came with it. It was like a drug. – when they had felt the pull of energy that came with being summoned by the mortals. They hadn't caught on the sheer improbability of them being summoned at the same time, in the same place. The humans knew better than to summon Lucifer, the Devil, the Lord of Fire and Destruction, and Mephistopheles, the Master of Death, Lord of Darkness and Cold simultaneously. The discharge of opposing demonic magic was enough to destroy a small village. So they had answered the summon, and only when the trap had closed in on them had they understood what was happening. But it was too late, human mages were already forcing his soul into a prepared contained, condensing and melting his essence, the magic circles around him preventing him from fighting back. The humans had been prepared, they hadn't. The last thing he saw before he was sucked into the artifact was Lucifer raging in a similar circle while several humans chanted an obscure incantation, stealing his energy and his soul away from him.

The next time he was able to see the light of day again was when the scepter was stolen, and damaged enough to allow a part of him to escape. He had been angry beyond logic, his mind foggy and his powers diminished, he had acted on his worst instincts instead of planning things out as he usually would, and the result had been a complete failure. He had acted rashly, antagonizing every mortal he met, forcefully extracting Lucifer's soul from its current host, leaving him a wild destructive beast governed by anger, something the humans had called the Iblis (probably a corruption of the word 'Hybris' which meant Pride, for Lucifer was after all the Lord of Pride). He had clumsily tried to make them stronger by fusing together, which had only resulted in weakening them further, allowing his enemies to raise against them, defeat them and seal them once again. It had been all for naught.

Acting rashly once again would only bring forth another failure, and he would not make a fool of himself another time. He had learned his lesson. He had been given another chance, and he would definitely not waste it! He slowly got up, testing the motor skills and senses of his new body, and placed the scepter back on the velvet cushion before picking up the discarded crystal case and putting it back where it belonged. He allowed himself a few minutes to impregnate himself with the memories and knowledge of the body's previous master, absorbing his soul little by little as he slowly traced the lines of his reflection on the crystal.

He chuckled. He had been lucky. He had found a good host, and the physical and magical compatibility was quite high, making the takeover much less noticeable. Only someone who had known the man really well would be able to tell the differences. His skin was probably a bit lighter, and his black hair now had a light purple hue. The only thing that could be really bothersome were his eyes: the color had changed from emerald green to a glowing lemon green, the most striking change being his pupils, which were now slitted like a snake's. "_Snake eyes"_ as Lucifer enjoyed calling them...

This thought erased all trace of a smile on his face.

He had failed.

Miserably.

But it wouldn't happen again.

He'd make sure to get rid of every liability.

He would make sure not to attract attention.

He'd give them time to grow strong again.

To get used to this world.

Then they'd strike.

And the mortals would fall, bowing and cowering in fear at their feet.

They would lay waste to this world.

They would turn it into a raging Inferno, a wasteland of lost souls and misery.

They'd get their revenge, in blood and despair, ashes and destruction.

The mortals would pay.

Oh, yes, they would pay...

He broke out in an evil, insane laugh, his whole body shaking from the strength of it. With this body, those insufferable anthropomorphic animals would not get in his way. He would be subtle, bid his time, replenish his powers and allow Lucifer to take over his host. This time, they would hide among the unsuspecting humans and have their backing against the animals, then they would rise to the top and no one would be able to oppose them. Especially not that blue hedgehog and his friends. He'd had enough of them meddling in his business.

He quickly walked toward the exit, turning back around once he reached the door to make sure the room was exactly the way it was when the human had entered, and, a satisfied smile on his lips, made his way back toward the party. He had a lady to seduce.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Comments and reviews, and any kind of feedback, are welcome, whether they be good or bad. **

**That story dates from a year ago but I'll continue writing it (i have most of the plot planned out, I "just" have to write it now) if you people are interested, so feel free to give me your opinion on this!**


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